


Two Miserable People and a Wedding

by hungrydean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Police Officer Dean Winchester, Writer Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 09:32:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungrydean/pseuds/hungrydean
Summary: Dean has no idea what he is doing here. Well, he does, since Sam has practically forced him to come, but still… If it hadn’t been for him, Dean would’ve stayed home.





	Two Miserable People and a Wedding

Dean has no idea what he is doing here. Well, he does, since Sam has practically forced him to come, but still… If it hadn’t been for him, Dean would’ve stayed home.

Big events like weddings aren’t for him. With his job, he has to talk with people too, but then he has a reason. When he doesn’t, he just feels odd. He awkwardly stands aside and watches as Sam is talking with someone Dean doesn’t know, his arm wrapped around Jess’ waist.

Dean barely even knows the couple that has just married. They were some friends from Jess that he met two or three times before, briefly. But they wanted a big wedding, and probably anyone that they vaguely knew the existence of had been invited.

The first part of the wedding hadn’t been all that bad, because Dean could just shut his mouth and not interact with anyone. The ceremony was pretty, but Dean’s thoughts kept drifting off. It all feels so… stiff.

The fact everything is perfect, on point and just like it should be, as in a movie, makes him feel itchy. Or maybe it’s just his formal suit.

But now he’s supposed to either dance or talk, which he both prefers to not do. At least there is food and champagne. He just stands at the side of the outside dance floor and looks at all the others, wishing he could already go home. 

“Dean, hey,” Sam says, suddenly turning up beside him. “You going to stand there for the rest of the evening?”

“Probably will get some pie, but practically, yeah,” Dean takes another sip of his champagne.

Sam rolls his eyes.

“Come on, Dean, there’s plenty of people you can talk to, I didn’t bring you here so you could stand aside.” Sam nods at Jess who is waving at him.

“Why exactly did you bring me here, anyways? I told you I didn’t wanna go.” Dean smiles at Jess as well, then turns back to his younger brother. Sam looks way more comfortable in his suit. He sighs.

“Listen, all you do is work. You never do anything fun- that’s not healthy. I know you’d never go somewhere yourself so I took you here. Plus, Jess’ friend love that you’re here.”

“Sure they do, Sammy.” Dean takes the last sip of his drink. “Your girlfriend is waiting.”

After he found another slice of apple pie, Dean sits down at one of the few empty tables and eats. He watches people dance and talk and laugh and wonders if he has that young excitement still hidden in him somewhere. He is in his late twenties and remembers how he used to be like these people just a few years ago. His job has made him age quickly, apparently. Still, he never regretted it. He prefers saving lives above dancing.

“Can I sit here?”

A rough, male voice made him look up. The man is about Dean’s age, his suit a little too big. His blue tie is tied the wrong way around and he looks a little nervous.

“Sure,” Dean says and shifts his plate closer a little so the other can put his notebook on the table.

The guy sighs and looks around, clearly as uncomfortable as Dean, and fiddles with his sleeves. Dean smiles.

“They know many people, don’t they?” Dean asks. The guy nods.

“I was surprised they knew my name when I got the invitation.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Castiel.”

Dean takes his hand and shakes it.

“Dean.”

Castiel nods and leans back into his chair. Dean looks at the messy hair and that tie that’s flipped around. It’s almost a relief to have someone in front of him who doesn’t look like they belong in a commercial. He’s handsome though, his profile strong with a tough jawline, eyes bright blue.

They sit like that for a while, neither of them speak but they don’t need to, either. They watch the people make a fool of themselves on the dance floor. Dean is happy to sit here, instead.

“Do you want a beer?” Dean asks after almost half an hour. It’s slowly getting darker, though the sun isn’t setting yet.

“Uhm- yes, actually.” Castiel gets up, seemingly surprised, as well and takes his notebook. Dean wonders what’s in there, but he doesn’t dare to ask. “I’ll walk with you.”

They walk to the long tables at the side together and Dean hands Castiel a beer.

“Thank you,” He takes a sip and leans against the wall, half of his face hidden in the shadow. “So, what do you do for a living, Dean?”

It’s always a moment where people’s views on Dean can change- the moment he tells them his job.

“I’m a cop.” He says as loosely as possible. Castiel nods thoughtfully, which is the best reaction Dean has ever had. Most people act as if he’s a superhero or some kind of higher rank person, which he doesn’t want to be.

“Do you like it?” Castiel asks. “Being a cop, I mean… Seeing all the bad in the world, every single day?”

Dean looks at Castiel for a while. He’s so unaware of the fact that he’s- different, so himself, it’s an alleviation.

“It’s tiring sometimes,” Dean admits. “Kinda like- you catch one bad guy, next day there’s ten more, y’know?”

Castiel seems to understand, nodding with concern. “But what do you do, Castiel?”

The dark-haired guy seems a little shy, suddenly, shuffling his feet in the grass before holding up his notebook.

“I write.” He shrugs. “This is filled with stories no one asked for.”

Dean chuckles and sips his beer.

“That’s pretty cool, Cas. No one asked me to fight crime, either.” For the first time, he sees Castiel smile- coy and humble. Dean is suddenly very glad he came to this wedding.

Castiel doesn’t seem to have anyone else to go to, and neither does Dean, so they stay with the other, slowly walking past other people. They talk and talk, loosen up by each other’s quandary and find themselves talking more than they have in ages.

Dean talks about Sam and Jess and that he barely knows the newly wedded couple, he talks about how exhausting his work is, how he feels like he aged fifteen years in the last five. Castiel tells him about his books not selling as much as he wants and how pressuring his family is on him being successful, how the only connection between him and the groom is that they were in High School together and that he came because he hoped to find inspiration for his latest story. They talk until the sun is setting and their cheeks are rosy from the several beers they got.

“Come,” Dean says when he suddenly spots Sam close to them. “I’ll introduce you to my brother.”

They make their way to Sam and Jess, who seem surprised when they see Dean arrive with Castiel.

“Hey you two,” Dean places a hand on Cas’ shoulder. “Sam, Jess, this is Castiel, Cas, this is my brother Sam and this is his girlfriend Jess.”

They shake hands and Sam frowns at Dean, trying to ask more about how he met the other, but Dean ignores it. The four talk, and suddenly Dean feels lighter. He doesn’t have to feel like everyone else to fit in. Sam doesn’t like the preppy decorations either, and Jess complains about the boring music. Castiel is standing close and Dean can smell his cologne, warm and gentle, can feel his arm brush against his own. In just a few hours, Dean has created a connection with him, something he hasn’t felt in ages. It makes it easier to throw his head back in laughter, wrap his arm around Cas. Even his suit feels less uncomfortable.

The sunset gives an orange hue to the entire place. Dean and Castiel has slowly wandered off to the less crowded area where they see fields, almost endlessly stretched across the horizon. The sun sinks slowly away into the distance as they walk, the sounds of the party nothing but a vague, distant mutter.

“That’s better, don’t you think?” Dean asks, the silence relaxing both of them.

“Way better.”

They’re walking side by side, hands often brushing together. Both of them had a little too much beer to mind. Castiel is still holding his notebook in his other hand. It’s small enough to carry around, but too big to put in your pocket.

“Did it help?” Dean asks after a while.

“What?” Castiel looks at him, startled out of his thoughts.

“Coming to the wedding.” He points at the notebook. “Y’know, for inspiration.”

Castiel smiles at him and nods after a moment of thinking.

“Yes, it did help.” He looks at his feet again, and when he speaks again, his voice is a little shaky. “Actually, one certain person did. Gave me wonderful ideas for a character.”

Dean’s stomach twists, smiling at himself.

“Oh did he, now?” He asks, a flirty tone to his voice. It’s always easier when you don’t have to look at the person in particular. “What kind of character were you thinking of?”

Castiel is smiling now, too. That small, coy smile from before that got Dean’s heart skipping a beat- he didn’t know that could happen so fast after meeting someone.

“Oh, maybe some sort of detective… He’s good at his job but bored because crime never ends, he wishes he could ignore the fact it all exists, but then he sees the news and reads the papers and he knows that he has to do something to make this world at least a little bit more liveable.”

Dean doesn’t know what to say, baffled by Cas knowing, or feeling, exactly how Dean thinks sometimes.

“He’s a good guy,” Castiel continues. “Charming, handsome too, though he knows it himself, too. Makes him a bit of a flirt.”

“Excuse me?” Dean can’t help himself, but Castiel is already chuckling. He grins at him and Dean bites his lip. “Touché.”

Castiel huffs.

“Honestly, though, he’d make a great character. One of my favorites so far.”

Dean smiles as he looks at Cas, who looks back and his lips curve as well.

“I’d love to read some of your stories, once, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Castiel’s eyes shimmer in the low light of the sun.

“You could always come over once, I can show you some of my work.”

It’s difficult to speak without stuttering.

“That- sounds like a plan.”

They return when the sun is almost entirely gone and find Sam and Jess soon, who were looking for Dean to leave.

Castiel almost automatically walks with them until they reach the car.

“Oh, Dean, one more thing,” he says and pulls Dean aside, leaving Sam and Jess at the car. Cas opens his notebook and scribbles something down. He tears off the page and hands it to Dean.

It’s a phone number, with _Cas_ written under it. “You were the first one to call me that.” He says. His cheeks turn a light shade of red. “I like it.”

Dean smiles and tucks the number in his pocket.

“Me too.”

He walks back to the car and a very interested Sam and Jess, but he only smiles and waves at Castiel before getting in. 

He’ll definitely thank Sam for taking him along today.


End file.
